Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful. (Quran 4:36)

Most of us are aware of kindness to our parents and family keeping the ties of the womb, rarely is the rights of neighbours spoken about or acknowledged other then to feed your neighbour or to be kind to them. Do you really know the rights of your neighbours? are you falling short in that? This is a legitimate worry and concern for us as Muslims as we have been told and warned about this in the Quran and hadeeth.

The Prophet, (Peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer.’’ It was asked, “Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?’’ He said, “One whose neighbour does not feel safe from his evil” (Sahih Bukhari).

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Narrated AbuHurayrah:

The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) observed: He will not enter Paradise whose neighbour is not secure from his wrongful conduct. – Sahih Muslim, 15

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The Messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings be upon him), said:

“Jibril kept recommending me to treat my neighbour well until I thought that he would tell me to make him one of my heirs” (Bukhari: 6014).

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Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings be upon him), commanded me thus,

“O Abu Dharr! Whenever you prepare a broth, put plenty of water in it, and give some of it to your neighbours” (Sahih Muslim).

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The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or be silent. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should be generous to his neighbour. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should be generous to his guest. His welcome is for a day and a night, and his hospitality is for three days. Whatever is more than that is sadaqa. It is not halal for a guest to stay with a man until he becomes a burden.” – Malik Al-Muwatta, Volume 49, Number 22

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The Messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings be upon him) says:

” He is not a believer who eats his fill whilst his neighbour beside him goes hungry” (Bukhari).

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Sahih Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet, (Peace and blessings be upon him), said:

“O Muslim women! No one should scorn the gift of a neighbour, even if it is (only) a sheep’s foot” (Bukhari: 6017).

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Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him reported: A man asked,

“O Messenger of Allah! There is a woman who prays, gives charity and fasts a great deal, but she harms her neighbours with her speech (by insulting them)” He said: “She will go to hell”. The man said: “O messenger of Allah! There is (another) woman who is well-known for how little she fasts and prays, but she gives charity from the dried yoghurt she makes and she does not harm her neighbours”. He said: “She will go to paradise” (Ahmad, vol. 4, p. 166, Ibn Hibban, hadith no. 2054).

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Mutarrif said:

“I heard that you (he means Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him) have said that the Prophet, (Peace and blessings be upon him), said: “Allah loves three and hates three.’”

Abu Dharr said, “I do not think that I would tell lies about the Messenger of Allah.”

Mutarrif said, “Then who are the three whom Allah loves?” Abu Dharr (quoting the Prophet, (Peace and blessings be upon him)) said: “A man who fights for the sake of Allah, with perseverance and hoping for reward from Him, and fights until he is killed, and you find this in the Book of Allah.’ Then he recited: “Truly Allah loves those who fight in His cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure.” [al-Saff 61:4] Mutarrif asked, “Then who?”

He said, “A man who has a bad neighbour who annoys and disturbs him, but he bears it with patience and forbearance until Allah ends the matter either during his lifetime or upon the death of either of them.”

“Allah Most High has allotted you your characters just as He has allotted you your provisions. Allah Most High gives worldly things to those whom He loves and those whom He does not love, but He gives religion only to those whom He loves, so he who is given religion by Allah has been loved by Him. By Him in Whose hand my soul is, a man is not a Muslim till his heart and tongue are submissive, and he is not a believer till his neighbour is safe from injurious behaviour on his part.” Ahmad and Bayhaqi, in Shu’ab al-Iman transmitted it. – Al-Tirmidhi, Number 1292

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Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said,

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should not hurt his neighbor and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should serve his guest generously and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should talk what is good or keep quiet.” – Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Number 158

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Among these hadeeth is a warning and a guidance to those who believe and take heed, from among the scholars the rights of neighbours have been made clear and precise for us. They are as follows:

❀You must help him if he asks for your help

❀Give him relief if he seeks your relief

❀Lend him if he needs a loan

❀Do not block his air by raising your building high without his permission

❀Do not harass him

❀Give him a share when you buy fruits; if you do not, bring what you buy quietly and let not your children take them out to excite the jealousy of his children.

❀You must visit (and take care of) him when he is ill

❀You must attend his funeral when he dies (and take part in burial arrangements)

❀If he commits a sin, prevent it from being known

❀Congratulate him if he is met with good fortune

❀Grieve in sympathy if a calamity befalls him

❀When a member of your community is in need, danger or illness or calamity has fallen on him, it is your duty as a Muslim to reach out and offer them help (regardless of the neighbor’s faith or background). To fail to do this is to fail in our duty to our neighbors, and is to leave a gaping hole in the Ummah.